1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to food preparation and handling and more particularly to a ka-bob preparation method and device.
2. Description of Related Art
Display and cooking means for shish kabob ("ka-bob") and other foods are known. These known means normally are used to show prepared foods, such as ka-bobs in refrigerated display cases, or to mount food, such as prepared ka-bobs, in a desired position for baking or cooking the mounted foods. However, after many attempts to solve the problems of preparing and holding a plurality of ka-bobs for use in a restaurant or similar type of establishment, there still exists the need for a simple, easy to use, low-cost device that allows a plurality of ka-bobs to be prepared at the same time, in a minimum of space, by one person, and which device also meets the stringent requirements mandated by health and safety codes for food handling and preparation devices for use in restaurants or other establishments where the need exists to prepare and hold a large number of prepared ka-bobs.
One such prior art device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,076,116 which discloses a ka-bob display device having a rectangular form holder with a plurality of angled apertures formed therein, opening to the top of the holder. The holder is mounted and locked in a tray having upturned edge portions for mounting in a refrigerated display case. This patent, however, fails to disclose how the ka-bobs to be displayed therein are prepared. Furthermore, because of the construction of the holder and the tray in which it is held, this display device would not meet the health code standards of most, if not all, communities for preparation of and holding of prepared ka-bobs in the food industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,887,523 shows a shish-kabob cooking device having a base unit with at least one vertical hole that ends in the base unit to receive one end of a prepared ka-bob, and a trough or depression and a drain connecting the end of the hole in the base unit to the trough so that grease, juices or other liquids generated in baking the ka-bob will flow downwardly and be collected in the trough. This patent also fails to disclose how the ka-bobs to be displayed in the cooking are prepared, and because of its construction would also fail to meet the health code standards of communities for preparation and holding devices for use in the food industry.
Other holding racks or trays for various elements are shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,390,784, 3,532,221, 3,643,812, 3,712,465 and 3,768,639. However, the construction of the devices shown in all of these patents would fail to support a plurality of ka-bobs for use in a restaurant or similar setting, and would also fail to meet the stringent health codes for food preparation and storage devices for use in the food industry.
While the foregoing prior art devices have provided some limited improvements and overcome some of the problems encountered in the cooking and storage of ka-bobs in certain circumstances, there remains the need in the food industry for a ka-bob preparation method which enables a plurality of ka-bobs to be prepared at the same time by a single worker, and a device to accomplish the same which also meets the stringent health codes of the food industry.